USB Powered Wifi to Ethernet router/adaptor ??? Is this possible

Posted 6th Feb 2023

Can anyone advise on what type of router/device I need for this application.

I am using Solar kit (in shed) and want to provide internet access to a locally connected device equipped with Ethernet Only.

Is there anything which can use a nearby WiFi signal and then provide Ethernet locally to connect to said device?
The device and the potential router must run on USB.
Any suggestions?

17 Comments

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6th Feb
Is it something like this?
amazon.co.uk/Von…c=1
6th Feb
Yes, but from experience the Vonets uses quite a lot of power.
6th Feb
Cheapest option may be the Edimax BR-6258N at £3.80 new delivered ex-UK, but need your own USB power cable & ethernet cable.
You'd need to look at spec to see if suitable for solar / micro-power use
ebay.co.uk/itm…184
Author
6th Feb
Doesnt the edimax require an ethernet internet IN to provide the wifi locally? Or can it pick up an existing wifi signal and allow that to convert to use the local ethernet to my device?
6th Feb
The tp link travel routers can do this
6th Feb
USB-powered wifi bridge.
The issue will likely be that most devices fitting that description will / may not be optimised to use minimal power.

Not a recommendation, just to start ball rolling example at sub-£14 FBA:
amazon.co.uk/Wir…8K/
Author
6th Feb
Thanks for your reply, the one you posted doesn't have local ethernet, my device needs a local ethernet connection, so whatever router should have a local ethernet port.
Effectively I want to go from WiFi to Ethernet using USB power
6th Feb
Have a look at: ebay.co.uk/sch…t=0
I had it, I'm sure I had it running from USB too, I must have bought a barrel to usb lead, I think it needed about 1A, might work with 500ma though I guess.
6th Feb
If you've an old phone, you can buy a cheap USB c to rj45 hub. You'll need power pass through on the hub, so you can keep the phone charged by USB. The hubs usually require a certain version of android as a minimum, so the phone can't be absolutely antique.

Pretty sure that would work. A quick look on amazon shows them from around £15.

Edit. It's also got a built in UPS if the USB power goes down... And even a option to use phone data if you buy a cheap sim and the WiFi goes down..

I like cisco and andys options above though. (edited)
Author
6th Feb
That's also an interesting idea, i have plenty of phone lying around. So if i get a usb to LAN adaptor, the phones wifi should pass through to the connected ethernet device? Do I need to enable some kind of pass-through on the phone?
6th Feb
The functionality you're looking at is often called a wi-fi bridge, it's generally not a dedicated bit of kit because it's the same hardware to lots of other stuff. So for example when I wanted to do this with mains power I bought a TP-link RE330 which is primarily advertised as a range extender.

USB powered could be trickier though, I'm not sure how much the networking world as embraced USB power supplies. Many USB power supplies will tolerate you pulling a few watts even though it's not to spec so if you can find something requiring a 5V power supply then that would likely work. (edited)
6th Feb
A portable WiFi bridge sounds like what you need, they have a built in battery that is charged via USB
Author
8th Feb
Thanks everyone for the ideas, I purchased a portable tplink 3040, switched it to wisp mode and connected to my local wifi and then hooked up said device to the tplinks ethernet. Works great and it has a builit-in battery for 4-5 hours of completely portable access.

That's one part of my solution solved, will post a Q for the 2nd part which involves 12V inverters and scheduling